The Epimethean Chronicles: The Ward
The Epimethean Chronicles, Episode One: The Ward i''s an original story by The Nemisis T- Type and Nautilus747. Unlike other stories on the wiki, The Epimethean Chronicles will be divided into Episodes, each with their own page. These episodes will themselves be divided into chapters. As such, chapters will be short and plenty. '' The story deals with an amnesiac man who finds himself alone in captivity in a research laboratory. Using the best of his skills, he must escape waves of mad scientists, security guards, and corporate businessmen who all seem to hate him as an abomination, but why? Prologue In the 1840s, strange lights appeared over what is now Saudi Arabia. From over 500 miles away, people could see the brightest shooting star in recorded history. Except, to the people of the Arabian peninsula, it wasn't a shooting star. It was a falling star. A meteorite. But this meteorite had direction. It had navigation. One second it would be going one way, the next it would turn the opposite way. Then it crash landed. The Sultan then sent his scavenger team to check out the source of the commotion. It was supposed to be a five-day excursion, but the scavengers never returned. Afraid, the Sultan sent a small army of 1,000 to the site. Only three came back, two died in the Sultan's throne room, and the third told the story of what they had seen. The crashed object glowed with the brightest lights imaginable. It was like having a small sun, here on Earth. It was as though Allah had sent them an angel, a holy beacon of salvation. Then they saw three tall people walk out of the light. As they did, the army bowed in respect. They were slender, and wore strange, shiny armor. They had a rough face with a wide mouth, no nose, only slits, and snake eyes. As soon as they saw this, the army knew these weren't angels of salvation from heaven. They knew these to be demons, sent by Satan, from Hell. They rose up and charged at the demons, their blades hungry for the glory of slaying the unholiest of creatures. But alas, it was this search for glory that cost them. With the blood on the sand increasing, the blood was fed to the gulf. Then, the unscathed demons marched toward the Sultan's palace. As the soldier finished his story, he fell to the Sultan's feet, and screamed. He howled the most maniacal, diabolical, and inhumane screams as he twitched in pain and rolled all over the throne room screaming until, at last, he stopped. When he stopped, little streaks of blood trickled from his eyes, down his cheeks, and fell onto the carpet. He clawed at the floor, as though he was trying to grasp something. Suddenly, he stopped moving altogether, and slowly, his skin melted off his body, and onto the ground. The messenger had been killed, but not by the receiver. Just then, the palace doors opened, and the demons slowly walked in, shooting all that opposed with rays of light emanating from their hands. As they approached the Sultan, he fell to his knees and begged for his life. He threw off his crown and offered the demons all he had. His riches, his lands, his powers, all in exchange for his life. Slowly, the lead demon put his hand on the Sultan's shoulder. Confused, the Sultan looked the demon in the eye, and the demon shifted his hand to the Sultan's throat, and hung him into the air. The Sultan saw in the demon's eyes visions. Visions of the future, of a man who would lead the people of Earth to true salvation. The Sultan went mad with the knowledge, and the demon soon ended it, crushing the skull of the Sultan, his insides leaking through the cracks. At that moment, the demons realized that this planet was weak. They soon realized they could easily overtake the world. So, from that moment on, the demons went on a conquest. Within six months, they had conquered all of the Middle East and North Africa, from modern-day Pakistan to Morocco. Within the year, they started marching west, taking Europe by storm. They conquered the eastern European countries, and that's when the western European powers united against their common foe. It wasn't until the demons' army reached the French city of Orleans that they had any chance of being stopped. The united European forces, numbering 10,000, outnumbered the demons' puny 200 by 50-1. They met on opposite sides of the old fort, and the bloodshed soon began. The humans were no match for their enemies' superior technology, but numbers can overwhelm. After three days of fighting, there were over 7000 numbered casualties, 98% of which were human. After calling for a ceasefire, the French king met with the lead demon, and they established a treaty, which would today be known as the Treaty of Orleans. As they negotiated, the French king realized these were not demons, but denizens of worlds far, far away. They were extraterrestrials, aliens. Under the treaty, the aliens would let go of all conquered lands, and the humans would allow the aliens safe travel through the world until they found a new home. These aliens became known as Epimetheans. Now numbering 40, the Epimetheans roamed the world as nomads, until, in the 1860s, they found haven in the hospitable climate of Canada. Soon, though, their numbers exploded. By 1888, there were two Epimetheans for every Canadian citizen. Soon, the Epimetheans grew afraid that the Canadian government would pass segregatorial and oppressive laws, and they started taking over Canada, killing everyone who stood in their way, and forcing all those who didn't to migrate south, into the United States. By 1899, the Epimetheans' culture and technological prowess had already influenced much of the world, and by 1908, the planet Earth was not entirely human. Chapter 1: Awakening CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! White, lights, muffled voices, bloodshot eyes. That was all that was there when I came to. But what exactly had I come to? I was lying on a cart, going down a long corridor. I tried to look around, but my eyes burned. Every movement stung. Even blinking was a strain. I seemed to have tunnel vision, being able to focus only on one object, everything else being just a blur. I did manage to see a man, he was wearing a blue cap, and a blue shirt with a black vest. The vest had yellow letters on it, but my eyes were too dilated to make out their meaning. The man was pulling the cart down the hall for some time until at last we came upon another man, dressed similarly. Maybe it was an uniform?"Hey, what have you got there?" The second man asked."Oh, this?" The guy who was pulling me asked back. "Yeah." "Oh, he's going to the laboratory." "Jesus Christ, man! Look at him. What happened to him?" "That's classified information, I'm afraid" "Oh, well. He won't be dating anytime soon, that's for sure" "Like he's ever coming out." "Really? What did he do?" "That's classified." "Hey! Did you see that? Do you think he can hear us?" "It won't matter." "Seriously? Who is this guy?""Classified."We stopped and I heard a click then a loud scraping sound. I heard a third voice. "Ah, there it is. Have you noticed anything strange about it?" "Yeah, he's been twitching, moving around.""Ah, I see. Bring it in. It's two hours overdue.""Yes, sir, Dr. Sitz, sir." He was wearing a hair net, and a medical mask, with a white coat. he had a name tag, but I couldn't read it in my condition. All I could see of him were his cold, uncaring gray eyes.He reached for something to my right, then touched my right arm softly, applying something damp. Then I felt a small sting on the joint opposite my right elbow. Right there and then, I stopped thinking. I felt my thoughts leaving my head. My heart rate increased, my breathing became shallow. My eyes dried out. I tried to blink, but even that was stressful. I tried to move, but my ankles and wrists were bound to the cart. I was twitching like a maniac. The more I blinked as I tried to wet my eyes, the heavier my eyelids grew. They grew heavier until I couldn't keep them open. "Is he okay?" I heard the second man say."It is going to be fine. If it doesn't make it, we won't shed tears. This-" he said, pointing at me, "-is an abomination of man. This aberration shouldn't even exist. If it dies, oh, well, might as well have not been born, understand? This. This doesn't matter. It's not a person. It's not a human being. It is one of them.""One of who?" The second man asked."That is beyond your level of clearance." The first man said."No, let him know. Let everyone know of the disgrace this thing brings to us. You, sir. This.... thing.... This is a-"At that point, my eyelids were too heavy and I fell into unconsciousness. Chapter 2: A New Beginning I awoke in a bath of illumination. My eyes strained, still holding the previous stress. The grim doctor’s face now stood to my side just in the corner of my eye. He briefly gazed at me, observing my consciousness then went back to his notes. He didn’t seem to take interest in me but he still seemed more welcoming than the medic I had first seen. I had so many questions but so little strength to ask them. Eventually his shallow voice rang about the eerie room. “Come to your senses, have you?” his interrogative features hidden by the large medical mask. I simply managed a weak nod in his direction. “Good.” He replied. “I have some questions for you.” With this he raised a withered clipboard and snapped the pen in his hand. Such a minor noise had a large effect on my unpracticed ears. “You came to us in a state unknown by man. Would you care to elaborate on how you got to that state?” Curious on what he was talking about I glanced down towards my feet; an action which I quickly regretted. All the way from my chest to my ravaged toes was a wasteland consisting of scars, burns, and other abrasions. The doctor still sat at my side waiting for an answer. I shakily replied “I am unsure.” His mask moves a bit, as though he was hiding some sort of smile. “Me too.” His attempt at humor lightened my heart but my mind was still trying to navigate the minefield of unanswered questions. “I fear that you may have lost some memory along the way. We have some items you were carrying when we found you. They may help in reminding you.” The doctor pulled up a faded picture in to my view. Instantly the figure on it sparked something in my mind. Triton... The word came to mind, but why? Who was this man, and what was he to me? The thought of him motivated me to sit up and ponder his whereabouts, but I was still bound to the bed. "I'm guessing you'd like to move around a bit, no?" The doctor said. "Yeah" I managed to say. He came to me slowly, and pulled a key out of his pocket, and unlocked my binds. My ankles first, then my wrists. He then put the key in his left pant pocket. I sat up and said, "Thanks" then I asked the doctor in a grave tone, “Where is he?” The doctor firmly grasped my shoulder. ”Relax, he is fine. He’s safely at home now.” This reassurance motivated me further and soon enough my curiosity took over. “Can I speak to him?” The doctor removed his hand and stood up. He seemed small in my vision, but when he stood he towered over me, but that could have been an illusion, an effect caused by the aftermath of whatever the previous doctor had injected into my arm. “That time will come. For now you must rest.” With this he briskly walked to the light switch, flicked off the blaze above me and slipped away into the darkness. I tried taking the doctor’s advice. My eyes would heavily close but my mind stayed energized. I kept asking myself questions as If I would somehow know the answers. “Could the man in the photograph explain this?” I kept my attention on that question as I mindlessly gazed into the darkness beyond. I sighed a deep breath, tried once more at sleeping, and drifted off into my unconscious world, where I fell into sleep. Though I was unconcious, my mind still fixated on that question. “Where is that man, can he explain this, and who is he?” Chapter 3: Isolation I woke up again, this time on a bed in a room high above the ground. There was a large window to my right that showed me an endless desert beyond the gates of this facility. I was once again bound to a bed, but there was no nice doctor for me this time, with a key. I tried to break free, but no matter how much I strained, the binds remained sealed. Just then, I received one last bout of strength, and tried, and almost like there was nothing there, I lifted my arms, breaking the binds in the process. I then lifted my feet, and broke those binds, too. "Whoa... How did I do that?" I asked myself. With no answer, I stood up, and as soon as my second foot touched the ground, I tried to walk, but I lost my balance and fell to my knees. "Gah!" I yowled in pain. "Where am I? Who am I?" I looked down at my feet. The wasteland of ravaging cuts, bruises and burns was gone, and my bare chest looked as if there were never any burns, cuts, or bruises. There were no scars, no marks. I looked around. I had a small side of the room, blocked off by a glass wall with desks and stacks of papers on the other side. There was a door, but it had a padlock on the other side. "Dammit!" I exclaimed. "Where am I?" I started walking in circles, and noticed, there was no one here. I looked down again and saw a name tag on my pants' seams. I sat back on the bed, and read it off. My eyes weren't blurry anymore, and I could read "BW-8991, F" on it. "What in the world is that supposed to mean?" I got up and went to the glass wall and pounded on it. "Let me out!" I screamed. "Where am I? Let me out!" I stopped, and leaned on the wall, and sat down, holding my head in between my arms. Then, I heard a click and a scraping sound from the other side of the wall. I turned around, and saw a doctor walk in, so I stood out. "Hey you! Let me out." I requested. The doctor had a syringe in his hand, and rushed to the door, with a key in his hand. He opened it and pushed the door open. "Hold on, just sit still, and you'll be fine" he said, as he came to me. "Doctor, what is that?" I said, pointing at the syringe as I walked backwards. "It's just sleepy juice. Don't worry." "Doctor, where am I?" "It's okay. It's all okay now, you're safe here." "Doctor, you're not answering my question. Where am I? What is that?" "Come here, you!" The doctor said, now rushing at me. I immediately ducked and, as the doctor reached me, I reached upwards and pushed him behind me. I heard him thud against the glass window behind me. I turned and went to him. He seemed dazed, and I knelt to inspect him. His face was grim, but soft. "You-you're the doctor who interrogated me." "Yes" the doctor managed to say softly. "Where am I?" I asked him yet again. "Philson & Garcia Psychological Medical Center. This is the east wing, the Ward." The doctor said, clearly in pain. "Who am I? What's my name?" I asked him. "I'm sorry, but that's above my level of clearance. I just administer the drugs... ugh..." He said, passing out. "What?" I asked myself. I grabbed the key and the syringe, and put the key in my left pocket, then walked out the door. I went to the other door, looking around for clues of my identity. Seeing none, I moved on to the next room. I saw more desks and paper stacks, and more patient beds. I also saw life support equipment, medicine, and surgical equipment. "Wow, so much equipment, but no patients." I said to myself. Just then, I realized I had a huge ache in my chest. "Aaaaagghhhhhh!!!!!" I screamed in pain. I fell to my knees and rolled on the floor, images of strange, tall, slender silhouettes flashing before my eyes. "Come, my son." I heard a female voice ring in my head, giving me a headache. I grabbed my head in pain, but the headache slowly crept away. I slowly got up, and looked around. Still no people. I went through the next door, and into a hallway. I looked down to my right, where the hallway extended, and saw two men in blue. Maybe the same from before. "Hey! You guys!" I yelled at them. They looked over at me, and one said, "Shit! It's him! Get him!" Then the two of them ran towards? me. "Huh?" I exclaimed. The faster one tried to tackle me, but I quickly side-stepped, and watched him fall on his stomach. Next thing I know, something hits me on the back, and I fall forwards, and the other man grabbed me, and put me in a half-nelson headlock. I leaned forward quickly and managed to throw him off me, onto the other guy, just as he was getting back up. "Ugh!" said the first one, as he let out a final gasp and seemingly passed out, too. The other guy tried to get up, but I went to him and injected the back of his neck with the syringe. He immediately fell asleep, and collapsed. "Ok, that didn't work." I said, walking away, looking around the empty hallway. "Hello?" I said, hearing only my own ghostly echo. I walked down the hall to a T-section, then turned left to a set of double doors. I pushed them open and looked inside. No one. I went back to the T-section and went the opposite way. I turned right after walking down the hall and saw two doors, one to the left, one to the right. I went into the left door, into a white room, empty except for a small table and chair in the middle, and a mirror on one of the walls, I went to the table and saw some photos. I saw the man from before, and again, I had flashing visions of tall, slender figures, this time with the words "down the hall" echoing in my head. "Triton" I said to myself. I went back out, and followed the eerie instructions down the hall, and went to the right side door. I opened it and stepped inside, and I saw another doctor, working on some papers. He turned around, alarmed by the door-opening, and exclaimed, "It's it!! Get away from me, you monster! Stay away!" I had more flashing visions, this time, the voice said "Kill him!" I don't know why, but I was compelled to do so. I slowly walked towards the doctor as he kept yelling "Stay away!" "It was you!" I said. "You were the one who called me an abomination. You were the one who treated me like dirt!" I said. "No, I'm sorry, stay away!" He began crying to himself as he cowered in the corner of the small room. As I came upon him, I was suddenly possessed by some sort of bloodlust, and I came down upon him with my hands like hammers. It was quick, but he felt it. He screamed, and screamed. Louder, and louder. He writhed in pain as I beat down upon him, my hands mad with fury. Within the minute, I was done. I had blood in my hands, and the body of the dead doctor lay before me, deformed and grotesque, his bones broken and crushed, misplaced, sticking out from his flesh. It was hard to imagine him as being once human, but had he ever been? Looking at my work, I wondered if I was. I walked out into the hall again, alone now, isolated by my fury in the Ward. I went back down the original hallway, and saw a door titled "Stairs." I went through it and saw flights upon flights upon flights of stairs, going down. I started on my way down, my mind fixated on one thing: "Who am I?" Chapter 4: Preparation On my way down the fourth set of stairs, images flashed in my mind, showing the me the face of the man the doctor had shown me the first time I regained concouness. I was confused. Who was he to me? Was he me? I still pondered who I was, my only clue being the tage reading "BW-8991, F". As I reached the base of the flight of stairs, I looked towards the wall to my right, looking for the door which I had not found at the bottom of the other staircases. I saw one, with a label saying "PATIENT PROFILES". I went in, now with the slight hope that I might even have the smallest chance of ever maybe even find something that would point to my identity. I reached towards the doorknob and turned, then slowly pushed the door ajar, as it creaked. I then slowly crept in through the small crack I had opened, and came upon a large room, with no windows or other doors, just desks, paper stacks, small medical equipment, clipboards, writing utensils, and cabinets and drawers. I scanned the area as I walked slowly through the room. I saw a desk with the code "BW-9991, T". It was similar to mine, so I decided to give it a look. It had a manila folder, among pencils and coffee cups, and a small cardboard box. I opened it and saw the picture of the man from before. Now curious, I pushed it aside as I frantically looked for information on the guy. I found a paper labeled "BW-9991, T Profile Information". I read through it: '''Subject BW-9991, T Profile Information Name: (The last name was crossed out), Triton (Middle name crossed out) DOB: (The date was crossed out) Height: (The number was crossed out) cm Weight: (The number was crossed out) kg Family: (Crossed out) Dexterity: Right-Handed Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Gray Blood Type: (Crossed Out) Scars: Across chest, 25 cm Tattoo: Right Shoulder, Star Birthmark: Right Forearm, Spiral Notes: Subject escaped on the night of April 15th, 1933, at approximately 11:34 PM. As such, I couldn't perform an autopsy to inspect the hybrid's inner structure. We did manage to retrieve a blood sample, reported to Chief Medic Hoeschied. She was pleased by the progress but had to lay off half of the security staff because of the incident. We have increased security measures as such, and have strictly disciplined the new security guards. Though hostile, the subject proved useful to us. I put the paper down, now sure that the man was not me. I had not escaped. Yet. I checked the cardboard box, labeled "Possessions" and saw it was empty. I looked at the other tables, finding the one with "BW-8991, F". I found the manila folder next to another "Possessions" box. I opened and saw the picture of a young man, in his late teens. I looked around for a mirror and saw one in the opposite, far end of the room.. I quickly ran towards it to compare my facial features to the man in question's. We looked similar enough, except my hair was only half as long as the one in the picture. This is me, alright, I thought. I went back to check the profile information: Subject BW-8991, F Profile Information Name: Blackwater, Forrest Jackson DOB: January 29th, 1918 Height: 182 cm Weight: 75 kg Family: Unknown Dexterity: Left-Handed Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Green Blood Type: (Crossed Out) Scars: N/A Tattoo: N/A Birthmark: Left Forearm, Spiral Notes: The subject's capture was a major milestone after the escape of number 9991. We trimmed his hair to inspect his head for any other signs of mutations. We found none. He seems to be somewhat less advanced than 9991, but we'll still keep an eye on him. Body suffered major injuries during capture, and rapidly healed itself. We need to watch it with this one. He seems to suffer from amnesia. We could use this to our advantage. I put down the paper, in shock that all I was to these people was a test subject. They were gonna pay, one way or the other. Forrest Blackwater, huh? Has a certain ring to it... Kinda catchy, actually. I went to the cardboard box and opened it. Inside, I saw normal-looking clothes and shoes. *** Five minutes later, I was fully re-dressed in the white t-shirt, blue denim overalls, and pair of loafers that I found on the box. I had also found a wrinkled-up note that said "Blackwater Garage: 135 Liberty Boulevard, Boulder City, Nevada." I assumed that that's where I came from, so that's where I wanted to go. Now with a goal in mind, I set off back down the stairs, ready for anything that might come my way. Category:Story Category:The Nemesis T-Type Category:Nautilus747 Category:Science Fiction Category:Retro-Futurism